Tasmanian whiskey: On a top-shelf mission

By Geoff Hiscock, for CNN

Updated 2355 GMT (0755 HKT) March 5, 2014

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New whiskey discoveries – The nascent Tasmanian Whisky Trail runs through central Tasmania. At Overeem Distillery in Hobart, Jane Overeem has been tasting whiskey since she was 18, primarily as a producer for her family's business.

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Family garage distillery – Some of the world's finest single malt is distilled in the Overeem's garage at the family's suburban home in Hobart, the capital of Tasmania.

Overseas expansion – "We have five whiskey bars now -- two in Brisbane, one each in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, and we'll open a new one in London soon," says Nant owner Keith Batt. "My goal in five years is to have 70 bars around the world."

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Lark Distillery – At Lark Distillery in Hobart, tour manager Mark Nicholson says the secret to good whiskey comes from the human palate, not a computer running a machine.

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Science, art, passion – The big oily barley used in Lark Distillers Selection gives it a spicy, aromatic flavor that earned it the title of Australia's best single malt whiskey in 2009 from the Malt Whisky Society of Australia.

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Focus on quality – "The right attitude for us is quality," says Sullivans Cove chief distiller Patrick Maguire. "We're growing, but we'll never be a giant distillery." With an output of just 20,000 liters a year, Maguire says it's difficult to meet domestic demand.

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Rye – Belgrove Distillery is the only Tasmanian whiskey maker using rye, rather than barley.

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DIY – Mark Littler is master distiller and general manager of Australia's biggest whiskey distillery, Hellyers Road. "These are exciting times for us," he says.

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Whiskey X factor – On the fringe of the Tasman National Park, William McHenry's small operation is all about quality. His X factor is the pure spring water that bubbles up from Mount Arthur.

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McHenry and Sons Distillery – "I came here for the pure water, to cool the spirit," says McHenry. "It's a very small operation, so I have to aim high." At 43 degrees south, only the vast Southern Ocean lies between McHenry and the Antarctic.

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Story highlights

The Tasmanian Whisky Trail runs to the world's most southerly distillery at Mount Arthur

Demographics are changing. Buyers of $150 premium single malt whisky are just as likely to be young and female

The Scottish Highlands and Speyside region.

The back roads of Kentucky and Tennessee.

Suntory's Yamazaki Distillery and Hakushu "forest distillery."

For seekers of premium malts, these are some of the touchstones of whiskey travel.

Now a new whiskey region is laying claim to world-class status.

And at some distilleries, the youth movement is right out front and center.

At age 26, Jane Overeem has been tasting whiskey since she was 18, primarily as a producer.

She and her father, Casey Overeem, distill some of the world's finest single malt whiskey in the garage of their suburban home in Hobart, capital of the Australian island state of Tasmania.

In the terms of whiskey bragging rights, the Overeems have already hit the distiller's sweet spot above 94 out of 100 -- the score needed to reach "liquid gold" status in the ranking system used by international critic Jim Murray in his annual Whisky Bible.

Tasmania has a solid share of the world's single malt whiskeys that carry the "liquid gold" tag -- a testament to the island's pristine water, richly flavored brewing barley, highland peat and a favorable climate.

Some of the world's finest single malt is distilled in the garage of the Overeem family's Hobart home.

Success on the global stage for names such as Overeem, Lark, Nant, Sullivans Cove and Hellyers Road has prompted a trickle of whiskey aficionados to drop into Tasmanian distilleries to taste the product and discuss firsthand with the makers their distinctive characteristics.

And where single malt was once the preserve of the over-55 male, these days the buyers of $150-a-bottle premium whiskey are just as likely to be young and female.

"When I first started going to whiskey shows eight years ago, usually I was the only female," says Overeem. "Now it's more like 50-50 men and women."

The world's most southerly distillery

Visitor interest has given rise to a nascent Tasmanian Whisky Trail (with a website that launched just this week) that runs from Burnie on the north coast of the island, through the picturesque central highlands to the lush valleys around Hobart.

At the end of the trail visitors find the world's most southerly distillery, William McHenry's operation at Mount Arthur, on the fringe of the Tasman National Park.

At 43 degrees south, there's only the vast Southern Ocean between McHenry and the Antarctic.

Some of these distilleries -- notably Hellyers Road at Burnie, Nant at Bothwell and Lark in the popular Hobart waterfront precinct -- have well established visitor centers and tasting bars.

Belgrove Distillery near Kempton is a one-man operation where sheep farmer, sand sculptor and occasional distiller Peter Bignell makes Australia's only rye whiskey at the rate of one 100-liter barrel a month.

"I may be the greenest distiller in the world," says Bignell.

That's not a reference to a lack of experience, but to the size of his carbon footprint.

His rye is grown, malted, fermented, distilled, barreled and bottled on the property.

There's no transportation cost, no wasted heat to dry the malt and minimal water usage.

This sort of boutique operation is a world away from the blended whiskeys that cater to the mass market, where brands such as Johnnie Walker, Jack Daniel's, Jameson, Suntory and McDowell's No. 1 Reserve dominate respectively for Scotch, American, Irish, Japanese and Indian whiskey.

As Tasmania's whiskey godfather Bill Lark describes it, making a single malt is a mixture of science, art and passion.

The big oily barley he uses in his Lark Distillers Selection gives it a spicy, aromatic flavor that earned it the title of Australia's best single malt whiskey in 2009 from the Malt Whisky Society of Australia.

Growing global demand

Sullivans Cove Distillery, based at Cambridge on the outskirts of Hobart, has won its share of awards and praise, including a 96.5 score from the revered Whisky Bible.

But with output of just 20,000 liters a year, chief distiller Patrick Maguire says it's difficult to meet domestic demand, let alone the numerous inquiries he gets from China and India.

"The right attitude for us is quality," he says. "We're growing, but we'll never be a giant distillery."

In the central highlands, where Nant Distillery operates Australia's only water-powered mill to grist its barley, owner Keith Batt aims to make Nant a global brand through a network of whiskey bars.

On the fringe of the Tasman National Park, William McHenry's small operation is about quality, not quantity.

"We have five whiskey bars now -- two in Brisbane, one each in Sydney, Melbourne and Hobart, and we'll open a new one in London soon," he says. "My goal in five years is to have 70 bars around the world in cities like New York.

"We scored a gold medal and two silvers in Hong Kong in 2013, so the China market is very attractive for us."

Batt says the highest rating Jim Murray has ever given is a 97.5.

"We got a 95.5 for a three-year-old Nant. Our challenge is to find a 98 among our barrels," he says.